Alabama Football: Wide Receiver room loses another one

With the announcement of freshman Aaron Anderson’s intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal, Alabama football has now lost four wide receivers to the portal since the conclusion of the regular season.

Aaron Anderson came to Tuscaloosa as a 5-star in the 2022 class, but hardly saw the field this season. He battled a knee injury for much of the season before finally getting healthy enough to make a brief appearance against Austin Peay in late November. Anderson finished the season without making a catch or recording a stat.

Alabama football fans had high expectations for the former highly-touted recruit going into 2023. Aaron Anderson has elite speed and, with a fully healthy offseason, would have had an opportunity to break into the rotation.

It was unfortunate that Anderson essentially missed the entire 2022 season with an injury. He was one of five speedy receivers that committed to Alabama in the 2022 cycle, and his knee issue caused him to fall behind his classmates in terms of development.

Even with the transfer departures of Traeshon Holden, Jojo Earle, and Christian Leary, Alabama football is returning a lot of contributors at the wide receiver position. Ja’Corey Brooks and Jermaine Burton seem to be on the verge of breakout seasons. True freshmen Kobe Prentice, Isaiah Bond, and Kendrick Law all saw significant playing time and showed lots of potential.

It may have been difficult for Aaron Anderson to jump these players who have already seen meaningful game reps. He would’ve had to fight his way into the two-deep, and it would have been very unlikely for him to find a starting role next season. In addition to the returnees, Alabama is bringing in four more talented receivers in its 2023 class, including game-breaking JUCO product Malik Benson.

Although the Crimson Tide return plenty of receiving production, Alabama football fans would be deluded to think this is not a major loss. In modern college football, you can never have too many explosive playmakers on your roster, and Aaron Anderson is absolutely electric. Coming out of high school, he was compared to Jaylen Waddle by 247Sports recruiting expert Andrew Ivins.

If Anderson is ever able to meet the potential he showed in high school, he will be one of the fastest and most dangerous skill players in college football. Wherever he ends up, I will be surprised if he does not become an impact player at some point.

It is somewhat alarming that Alabama football continues to lose so many players to the portal from one position group. Bama fans should be aware, however, that the wide receiver room in Tuscaloosa remains far from depleted. There is no shortage of numbers, talent, or speed at wideout heading into 2023.